Place meat in a large bowl. Add soaked bread, egg, Parmesan (if using), parsley, garlic, salt and pepper. Using your hands, blend well but try not to squeeze too much. Form into meatballs about 1 1/2 inches in size.

Meanwhile, bring tomato sauce to a simmer in a medium-size pot over medium-low heat. Add meatballs to sauce and let them simmer until fully cooked, about 10 minutes.

While meatballs are cooking, cook pasta in salted water according to package directions. Drain and serve with sauce and meatballs. Serve extra Parmesan on the side to sprinkle over the meatballs, if you like. Makes about 20 meatballs.